QUALITY CONTROL PRACTICES IN FOOD PROCESSING: INDIA & INTERNATIONAL TRENDS

The Quality control of food has a significant role in assuming a high quality, safe and nutritious food supply for the public, for their good health and for the economic benefits derived from trade of safe and high quality food.

Quality control is applicable throughout the entire food system. The three basic characteristics of a food quality control infrastructure include-

· Food Law and accompanying regulations:

o Quality control in food cannot operate without adequate food law

o The law should define the role and responsibility of the private sector and other institutions such as industry, academic institutes, scientific committees and consumers in relation to food quality and safety.

· A Food Inspectorate, Analytical Services, and Compliance Unit.

o Role of the inspectorate is to inspect food manufacturing, processing and handling facilities, import/export foods.

o The inspectors should be trained in the latest investigative techniques and fully educated in the latest food safety and Q.A methods.

o The laboratory function is critical to Q.C in food.

o Use of latest analytical instruments and sophisticated methods of analysis.

o A compliance unit ensures that the recommendations for legal action are appropriately supported by sufficient and supportable evidence.

o It would be responsible for those actions that are considered regulatory in nature such as court actions.

· Supporting services i.e. education, information, training and advisory support, industry, consumers.

o Science and Technology services provide backup in research planning and support or for review of the latest technologies in food control or food processing.

o Food Industry shares responsibility with the governmental agencies in achieving quality control strategies such as Good Agricultural Practices (primary production) and Good Manufacturing Practices (secondary production).

o Consumer organizations can play an important role in representing the consumer in the development of a Q.C strategy and bringing the concerns of consumers to the attention of the policy makers and the industry.

The main reason for having quality control is to ensure that the products are made as per the standards demanded by the management. It ensures that raw materials meet set standards; processing methods perform as designed; finished products meet company standards and consumer confidence in the company remains high.

Key aspects of a quality control program are:

• Physical and Chemical evaluation of raw materials and processed products
• In- process control of

• Raw materials, ingredients and packaging supplies
• Processing parameters
• Finished products

Microbiological analysis and control of raw materials and finished products. Control of storage and handling conditions. Sanitation and Waste product control. Assurance that final products are within the legal and marketing standards established.

We often confuse ‘Quality Assurance(Q.A)’ with ‘Quality Control(Q.C)’.Quality control focuses on the product, while quality assurance focuses on the process. Quality control includes evaluating an activity, a product, process, or service while quality assurance aims to ensure processes are sufficient to meet clearly defined objectives. Further on, Quality assurance ensures a product or service is created, implemented, or produced correctly, whereas quality control determines if the end product results are satisfactory or not.

Quality control in a typical food processing system begins right from the stage of production of food and runs till the stage of its sale and distribution. Some of the common quality control measures at each stage of a processed food are highlighted below:

• PRODUCTION

• Control on the use of pesticides, veterinary drugs, and fertilizers.
• Quality control at the time of harvesting.
• Post harvest handling particularly during storage (temperature, humidity and time control)

• PROCESSING

• Use of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
• Application of Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points (HACCP) approach to achieve optimum results with regard to the quality and safety of the product.
• The application of ISO 9000 series of standards to establish Q.C regimes.

• DISTRIBUTION AND SALE

• The ambient conditions under which food is stored or transported. For ex. Time, temperature, humidity.
• Application of ‘first-in, first-out’ principle to see that food is not held beyond its shelf life.
• Protection against insects, rodents, and extraneous matter.
• Preparation of food particularly street foods under hygienic conditions.

QUALITY CONTROL: INTERNATIONAL SCENARIO

Developed countries have structured food safety regulatory systems that are increasingly comprehensive and more stringent. They are adopting a mix of regulatory approaches depending on the problem addressed, including process standards such as HACCP, performance standards for testing final products and even increasing labeling standards to communicate about food safety to consumers.

Given below are some of the Quality Control Structures Of few Developed countries:

• CANADA

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA, 1997) brings all federal food inspection and enforcement programs, plant protection and animal health together.

Health Canada establishes policies and sets the standards relating to the safety and nutritional quality of food sold in Canada.

• DENMARK

Food Safety Agency (1997) is a part of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries established by merging the National Food Agency and the Veterinary Service. The aim is to create a single authority responsible for all the inspection and control of food “from stable to table”

• GERMANY

With a federal state, responsibility for food quality control is divided between the Federal government and the Government of the 16 Federal States. A working group has been set up with the aim of developing a single agency to take over all responsibility for food control.

• SWITZERLAND

Decentralized food safety system placed under the supervision of three federal offices working closely together: The Federal Offices of Public Health, Agriculture, and veterinary issue food regulations. At regional level, Cantonal Veterinary offices and cantonal laboratories are responsible for food law enforcement activities.

• THE UNITED KINGDOM

Agency set up by the parliament is a non-ministerial governmental department led by an independent board. The agency accounts to Parliament through health ministries. All food law enforcement, with the exception of meat inspection and hygiene and hygiene, is with local authorities.

QUALITY CONTROL: INDIAN SCENARIO

· Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is responsible for ensuring quality in food to the consumers. A legislation called ‘Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954’ exists to ensure pure and wholesome food to the consumers and also to prevent fraud or deception. The Foods Safety and Standards Act, 2006 consolidates eight laws governing the food sector as well as establishes Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSA) to regulate the sector.

• CENTRAL FOOD LABORATORIES(CFLs)

• Food Research and standardization Laboratory, Ghaziabad.
• Central Food Laboratory, Calcutta
• Central Food Laboratory, Pune
• Central Food Laboratory, Mysore

• STATE FOOD LABORATORIES

72 Food laboratories under the administrative control of State/U.T governments and local bodies.

• QUALITY CONTROL CELLS(QCCs)

Three QCCs situated at New Delhi, Kolkatta and Hyderabad are monitoring the quality of foodgrains being procured by FCI and state agencies for central pool.

• QUALITY STANDARDS

COMPULSORY LEGISLATION FOR QUALITY STANDARDS

• Standards on weights and measures (packaged commodities) Rules, 1977 Ministry of Food & Civil Supplies).
• Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 (Ministry of Health & Family Welfare)
• Essential Commodities Act, 1954:-

• Fruits Products Order, 1955 (Ministry of Food Processing Industries)
• Solvent Extracted Oils, De-oiled meal & edible Flour Control order,1967 and Vegetable products control order,1976 ( Ministry of Food & Civil Supplies).
• Meat Products Order,1973 ( Directorate of Marketing & Inspection)
• Milk & Milk products Order, 1992 ( Dept. of Animal Husbandry)

• Directorate of Marketing & Inspection (DMI)-AGMARK
• Export (Quality Control and Inspection) Act, 1963.

FSSA consolidates the eight laws governing the above standards.

VOLUNTARY STANDARDS

• Bureau of Indian Standards-standardization of products
• DMI-agricultural products.

CODEX ALIMENTARIUS

• The Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission set up in 1962 has the major objectives of protecting health of consumers and ensuring fair practices in food trade.
• An intergovernmental body engaged in preparing international food standards and other relevant recommendations to promote quality and safety of food.
• It is one of the most successful programmes of the specialized agencies of the UN, contributing to the international harmonization in the important area of quality and safety of food.
• The national Codex point in India is the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in the Ministry of Health & Family welfare.

HACCP

HACCP is an important QA system that emphasizes ‘prevention’ in the avoidance of food safety problems.

Final Thought….

In developing countries, people spend almost 50% of their income on food. At the national level, food and agriculture form a major sector of all most all-national economies in terms of GDP, employment, and foreign exchange earnings. About $500 billion worth of food enters international trade each year. It is thus apparent that assuring food quality and safety has become a challenging task. As a measure of preparedness, developing countries may have to take up capacity –building projects with objective of strengthening the food quality testing infrastructures and capabilities. The experiences of the other countries clearly show that while their food legislations are no less stringent in so far as their concern for protection of public health and consumers interest are concerned, yet they are quite pragmatic and flexible in their enforcement approach so as to ensure that food industry and trade are not subjected to unnecessary harassments or frivolous prosecutions.